Cylinder and dial knitting machine



April 30, 1946. c. KOPPEL.

CYLINDER AND DIAL KNITTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 25, 1944 Il Il IIIIIIIIMUUIIIIIIIHII IIIIIHHI |l|||| HHIH CHAR( E S /f OPPE L Patented Apr. 30, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CYLINDER AND DIAL KNITTIN G MACHINE charles Koppel, Robbinsvme, N. J. Application` February 23, 1944, Serial No. 523,566

7 Claims.

This invention relates generally to knitting machines of the dialA and cylinder type and has to do particularly with improvements in the construction of the dial whereby the needle grooves are kept clean.

The present application is based upon and forms a continuation in part of my prior application Serial No. 486,867 iiled May 13, 1943, now Patent No. 2,368,224, v

In the operation of knitting machines such as the dial and cylinder type machines where the needles are supported for reciprocatory movement in guide grooves, considerable difficulty is had in maintaining continuous operation of the machine because of tthe accumulation of lint and dust in the grooves. This accumulation makes the operation of the needles difcult and consequently it is necessary periodically to stop the machine and clean out the needle grooves.

The present invention has for its primary object to provide in a machine of the character stated, a novel means for effecting the continued cleaning of the needles and the removal of dirt and lint from the needle grooves, so that the needles are always kept, together with the grooves in which they work, free of adhering lint or other undesirable matter and the operation of the machine is maintained uninterrupted.

Another and more specific object of the invention is to provide in a dial and cylinder type knitting machine, a dial having an annular channel cut in the under face thereof to a depth exceeding the thickness of the dial, to extend into the material forming the walls of the needle grooves, whereby there are formed scraping edges which extend across the back and side faces of the needle and function continually to remove from such faces any matter adhering thereto.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a machine of the character stated, a dial construction having scraping edges of the character stated, with means secured to the under face oi the dial for catching the dirt removed from the needles and passing downwardly through the openings provided by the channel.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description of the same proceeds, it being understood that minor changes and modifications may be made in the structure so long as such changes and modifications are within the scope of the appended claims.

Inthe drawing:

Figure l is a vertical section through a dial and cylinder showing the application of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken upon the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical section through a portion of a dial and cylinder of the form in which the dial lies outside the circumference of the cylinder.

Figure 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale through a portion of the dial of Figure 1 showing the scraping edges.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing the numeral I0 generally designates a conventionally illustrated needle cylinder such as is illustrated in the companion application to this and to my prior application referred to. In such cylinder one wall, here shown as the outer wall, is provided with the longitudinal ribs I I which are slidably mounted vertical needles I3.

In this construction the inner wall of the cylinder is provided with the continuous channel I4 which extends through the wall thickness and beyond the bottoms of the grooves I2, into the ribs II, for the purpose described in my copending application and the lower ends of the grooves I2, in those machine cylinders where they are closed as indicated at I5, have the dirt escape openings IB also as described and claimed in my copending application.

The numeral I'I generally designates the needle dial of the type which overlies the center of the cylinder I0 and which has the spaced radiating ribs I8 which form between them the radial grooves I9 for the horizontal radially movable needles 20.

In accordance with the present invention I provide for the cleaning of the horizontal needles 20 and the discharge downwardly through the dial plate, of dirt which has accumulated in the groove I9, by forming the circular channel 2| through the dial plate from the under side. This channel is made of suilicient depth to extend beyond the bottoms of the needle grooves I9 into the ribs I8. By this construction there are formed scraping edges 22 across the bottom of each needle groove I9 across which the rear or under face of the horizontal needle in the groove passes and there are also formed the vertical scraping edges 23 which extend across the side faces or portions of the needles to scrape or clean the same as the needles move backwardly and forwardly.

It will thus be seen that any matter which collects in the grooves Il or adheres to the side faces 'or the under face of a needle, will be removed and discharged downwardly through the openings in the bottoms of the grooves, into the central part of the cylinder in the construction shown in Figure 1.

In order that the machine may be kept clean there is provided a dirt collection receptacle 24 which is secured to the under side of the dial I1 to cover the circular channel 2l so as to collect or receive the dirt passing through the openings.

Figure 4 illustrates the application of the invention to a dial of the type which lies outside the circumference of the cylinder. In this form the cylinder is designated I' and has the needle grooves 25 formed in the inner wall and the encircling channel 2B formed in the outer wall, as described and claimed in my copending application previously referred to.

The outside dial is designated I1 and is in the form of a flat annulus having the two concentric parts a an b which, asis well known to those versed in the art, are Vsupported for slight relative shifting movement in the operation of themachine. The top of the dial i1' carries upon the outer portion the short radial rib 21, while the inner portion b carries the spaced radial ribs 28 and these ribs upon the inner and outer portions provide the radial needle grooves 29 and 30 which are aligned to receive the horizontal radially shiftable needles 3|.

In the application of the invention to the dial Il' the plate is provided with the circular channel 32 in the portion covered by the ribs 2l, the channel extending through the plate and through the bottoms of the grooves 29 as is clearly shown in Figure 4.

Between the inner ends of the ribs 21 and inner edge of the portion a, this portion of the dial plate is provided withA the short circumferentially extending series of slots 33. These slots are arranged in several annular series and the slots of one series are disposed to extend across the unslotted portions of the plate between the adjacent series. In this manner the plate is not weakened and at the same time every one of the radially disposed needles extends across at least one slot so that the bottom face of the needle will engage the scraping edges of a slot 33 and will also engage across the edges of the continuous circular slot 32.

From the foregoing it will be readily seen that by providing the slots and channels in the dial plates in the manner illustrated and described the collection of dirt in the radial needle grooves will be avoided and any dirt or lint which may adhere to the under and side faces of the needle as, for example, as a result of the collection of oil or moisture in the grooves, will be scraped off as the needle faces pass across the scraping 4 edges which are provided by the described channels and plate slots.

I. claim:

l. In a dial and cylinder type knitting machine in which the dial includes radial ribs forming radial needle grooves, means for preventing the accumulation of dust and dirt in the grooves and the adherence of matter to the inner faces of needles in the grooves, comprising a circumferentially extending opening formed in the body of the dial and extending through the bottoms of the grooves against which the .inner faces of the needles move.

2. A dialconstruction in a cylinder knitting machine as set forth in claim l, with a dirt co1- lection receptacle secured to the under side of the dial to receive matter discharged through the dial opening.

3. A dial construction in a dial and cylinder knitting machine as set forth in claim l, in which the opening formed in the dial extends beyond the bottoms' of the needle grooves into the ribs to form scraping edges extending across the sides of the needles in the grooves.

4. In a dial and cylinder type knitting machine a dial plate having radial spaced ribs forming radial needle grooves, means for preventing the accumulation of dust and dirt in said grooves and for eecting the cleaning of needles in the grooves, comprising circumferentially extending slots formed in the body of the plate and open-v ing through the top thereof in position to be traversed by the needles, the slots forming scraping edges transversely of the inner faces of the needles.

5. A dial construction in a needle and dial knitting machine as set forth in claim 4, in which the slots are in concentric annular series and in which the slots of one series are in overlapping relation with the ends of the slots of the other series.

6. In a dial and cylindertype knitting machine, a dial plate having radial, spaced ribs forming radial needle grooves, means for preventing the accumulation of dust and dirt in said grooves and for effecting the cleaning of needles in the grooves, comprising a slot formed in the dial from the underside thereof and opening through the top and extending across the ribs. the slot forming a pair of scraping edges transversely of each groove for scraping engagement with the inner face of a needle in the groove.

7. A dial and cylinder type knitting machine in which the dial includes radial ribs forming radial needle grooves, means for preventing the accumulation of dust and dirt on the top surface of the dial beneath needles positioned in said grooves and the adherence of matter to the under faces of the needles, comprising a circumferentially extending opening formed in the body of the dial and extending through the surface upon which the needles are slidably supported, the said opening forming scraping edges transversely of the inner faces of the needles.

CHARLES KOPPEL. 

